Health officials in Virginia and Maryland recently reported cases of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by a parasite.
The Virginia Department of Health said that as of Tuesday, there were 10 cyclosporiasis cases across the commonwealth, though not in a pattern that would constitute an outbreak.
The illness, Virginia officials said, is caused by the parasite cyclospora.
Cyclospora is transmitted by feces or feces-contaminated water or food.
Maryland officials reported 28 confirmed cases since May 1, according to Baltimore’s WJZ-TV. MedStar Health reported that the latest case was diagnosed at one of its urgent care facilities in the state, according to Washington’s WTOP-FM.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that it confirmed 145 cases between May 1 and June 16 in 17 states, which did not include Maryland. Other state departments of health have reported a large number of additional cases since then.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday confirmed 1,251 cases in the state as part of an outbreak.
In neighboring Ohio, 177 cases were confirmed as of July 2, with most of them occurring after June 20. The illness has caused 28 people to be hospitalized, though none of the patients have died, the Ohio Department of Health said Wednesday.
In addition to Ohio and Virginia, the other states where the CDC confirmed cases as of June 16 are Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
People start having symptoms of cyclosporiasis between two days and two weeks after consuming something contaminated with cyclospora. The most common symptoms are watery diarrhea, along with bloating, cramping, fatigue, increased gas, loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss, the CDC says on its website.
Uncommon symptoms include body aches, headache, low-grade fever, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms, the CDC said.
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